Board Game Hot Takes

Latest Episodes:

Orleans Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 193 we provide our hot take review of Orleans covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.

We discuss a poll on favorite board games based on French cities and then we discuss some board games on our table including Galactic Renaissance, The Vale of Eternity, and Wolves.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:06 Question: Which board game based on a French city is your favorite?

04:57 Orleans Description

07:01 Gameplay and Mechanisms

30:19 Production and Theme

34:24 Final Thoughts

38:36 Galactic Renaissance

46:00 The Vale of Eternity

52:18 Wolves

55:05 Listener Shoutout

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes

Top 5 Unique Worker Placement Games Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 192 we each discuss our top 5 board games that use the worker placement mechanism in a very unique or interesting way.

We also discuss a poll on what to do with components after you upgrade them.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:24 Poll Time: If you upgrade components for a board game, what do you do with the replaced components?

10:16 Top 5 Unique Worker Placement Games

11:57 Lost Ruins of Arnak

16:25 Raiders of the North Sea

19:47 Bus and Dominant Species

23:32 Come Together (Great Wall)

27:52 Lorenzo Il Magnifico

32:10 Anachrony

35:03 Terracotta Army

38:16 The Godfather: Corleone's Empire

42:47 Architects of the West Kingdom

45:40 Chimera Station (Godspeed, Darwin's Journey)

50:32 Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia

56:50 Star Wars: Rebellion

1:00:06 Pendulum

1:06:34 Underwater Cities

1:09:21 Ceres

1:14:28 Runners Up (Argent: The Consortium, Cryo, Dwellings of Eldervale, Whistle Mountain)

1:15:55 Listener Shoutout

Maracaibo Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 191 we provide our hot take review of Maracaibo covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.

We discuss a poll on investigating card decks before playing games and then we discuss some board games on our table including Starship Captains, Sagnir, and Djinn.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:25 Question: When introduced to a board game that contains cards, at what point do you look through the deck to see distribution?

08:15 Maracaibo Description

10:07 Gameplay and Mechanisms

22:02 Production and Theme

26:22 Final Thoughts

35:35 Starship Captains

42:47 Sagnir

47:03 Djinn

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakes

Top 5 Desert Island Games w/ Connie Vogelmann Apr 01, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 190 Connie Vogelmann (designer of Apiary and Wyrmspan) joins us as our guest host as we each discuss our top 5 Desert Island Board Games.

We also discuss a poll on how less games might impact our play habits.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

03:08 Poll: If you only had 5 board games (of your choice) available forever do you think you'd still play board games as frequently as you do?

09:33 Top 5 Desert Island Games

12:40 Azul

15:08 Cribbage

16:27 Ark Nova

19:15 Dune: Imperium

22:00 The Resistance: Avalon

26:33 Sea Salt & Paper

28:30 Fractal: Beyond the Void

32:07 Gloomhaven

35:23 Clank! Catacombs

39:47 Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory

43:32 Stationfall

44:48 A Feast for Odin

47:10 Welcome to the Moon

49:15 Twilight Imperium: 4th Edition

51:28 Blood Bowl

55:16 Age of Innovation

1:01:10 Runner Ups (Capital Lux 2, Xia: Legends of a Drift System, Decrypto, Werewords, Codenames, Voyages of Marco Polo, Grand Austria Hotel, Skull, Just One, Fun Facts)

1:04:50 Listener Shoutout

Board Game Arena Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

In episode 189, we take a deep dive into Board Game Arena and discuss games that we think are best on that online platform and games that are way better on a physical table.

We also discuss a listener poll about how frequently you take turns on online board game platforms and give a huge shoutout to our BGA Community.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

04:00 Poll: How frequently do you take turns on async games on BGA (or other online platforms)?

09:48 Board Game Arena (Top 3 we prefer on BGA and Top 3 We prefer in person)

13:26 Ark Nova

19:00 Keyflower

22:48 7 Wonders

25:42 Heat: Pedal to the Metal

32:05 Tapestry

39:03 Terraforming Mars, Agricola

43:50 Blood Rage

46:02 Tichu, Haggis, 6 Nimmt, Libertalia

49:16 La Granja

52:19 Blood Rage

53:28 Cerebria: The Inside World

55:44 Wonderland's War

57:42 Woodcraft

59:21 Lords of Ragnarok, Lords of Hellas, The Great Wall, Nemesis

1:03:20 BGHT BGA Community Shoutout

Top 5 Player Boards Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 188 we each discuss our top 5 favorite player boards in board games.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

02:44 Baseball Highlight 2045

05:00 Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy

10:00 Lacrimosa (Red Cathedral, White Castle)

14:48 Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory

17:10 Distilled

21:02 Marrakesh (Orleans, Paladins of the West Kingdom, Russian Railroads)

25:45 Planet Unknown

27:49 Cthulhu: Death May Die

35:21 La Granja

39:57 My Father's Work

43:22 Carnegie

47:40 Voidfall

51:57 Mechanica

58:34 Scythe

1:04:05 Terraforming Mars, Calico, Fractal: Beyond the Void, Nucleum

1:09:00 Listener Shoutout

Random Board Game Topics - Mailbag Episode #2 Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

In episode 187, we answer more listener questions in a second mailbag episode.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:13 What are some common complaints about board games that you see as a positive?

08:16 What changed that made art and theme less important to you? What is part of board gaming that you feel a certain way about but suspect you're wrong? Could you take Klemens Franz in single combat?

16:01 How did each of you get into board games? Which do you prefer - Nerd or Geek? Do you keep track of your plays, how and why?

21:30 How do you cope with FOMO?

26:28 What's the ideal way to tell someone you didn't enjoy gaming with them and don't want to anymore?

36:58 Listener Shoutout

39:25 What was your favorite game to play with a young kid?

Clockwork Wars Mar 04, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 186 we provide our hot take review of Clockwork Wars covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.

We discuss a poll on the loss of entire board game collections and then we discuss some board games on our table including Trickerion: Legends of Illusion, Lucky Numbers, and Knarr.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:47 Question: If you lost your entire board game collection, what percentage would you re-acquire?

06:15 Clockwork Wars Description

07:27 Gameplay and Mechanisms

31:02 Production and Theme

35:16 Final Thoughts

40:33 Trickerion: Legends of Illusion

51:23 Lucky Numbers

54:30 Knarr

1:00:52 Listener Shoutout

Wrong Hot Takes Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 185 we each discuss our biggest mistakes, at least regarding our first impressions on board games.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:37 Poll: How often does your first impression of a game hold up after more plays?

7:55 El Grande

10:53 Heat: Pedal to the Metal

13:46 Endless Winter: Paleoamericans

16:19 Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar and Teotihuacan: City of Gods

19:00 Sol: Last Days of a Star

23:14 Red Rising

25:59 Heat: Pedal to the Metal

28:10 Anachrony

32:22 Star Wars: Outer Rim

34:15 Dungeon Petz

36:54 Quacks of Quedlinburg

39:26 Dominion

42:27 Gaia Project

47:08 Ethnos

51:10 Runner Ups

54:35 Listener Shoutout

Thunder Road: Vendetta Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 184 we provide our hot take review of Thunder Road: Vendetta covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.

We discuss a question on games that were frustrating to punch and sort and then we discuss some board games on our table including Glory to Rome, Concordia, and Newton.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:28 Question: Which game led to the most frustrating or painful experience you've had punching and sorting a board game?

08:50 Thunder Road: Vendetta Description

11:00 Gameplay and Mechanisms

20:31 Production and Theme

29:46 Final Thoughts

33:14 Glory to Rome

41:49 Concordia

44:08 Newton

47:45 Listener Shoutout